Minister of Fire2.

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Lots of info here about storing splits and logs, but am seeing nothing about how to store lumber scraps, and that's my problem.

Up till now I've been buying just about all my firewood. But last spring that sort of changed. I had run out and all I could get was still a bit wet. So I tried mixing the wetter stuff with some dry pallet scraps and free cut lumber that's available locally.

And lately not wanting to dig into my stacks, I again went after the free lumber and have been pretty satisfied with burning it in uniform piles almost like bio bricks -- (pieces right now are about 3x5x1 but the size can vary.) Stacked tightly in rows they burn slowly, like splits. In fact, since the supply seems reliable and close by am thinking about using a lot of it this season.

Up till now, I've just been getting what I can in the spare 30 gal trash cans I have around and loading the wood stove from them and keeping them in the house. But they are filled up and I want to stock up so need a way of storing more outside. Can't just put it on pallets like my regular stacked firewood.

I looked around at Walmart and they had some less than $20 50 gal plastic storage boxes, but I really need more storage than that. So am thinking I'll have to build something outside to store the cut up lumber in, Ideally covered, since a lot of what they have is in cardboard boxes that I keep to use for storage and transport of the pieces.

Tried searching here and am not seeing a lot that's applicable. Want something that's going to store at least about a cord. Likely I'll have to make my own layout, but I'd like to get some ideas by seeing or hearing about some examples. Maybe there's another term other than covered wood bin.

What I really need is a system. A type of container (s) I fit in my van or hatchbk to take over to pick up the wood. Then transport that from the vehicle to the outside storage and then from there into the house to the stove. Finding something free or inexpensive would be the best way, but I'm handy enough and don't mind building something not too complex.

Burning Hunk2.

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Likely too large, far away, and more than you'd want to spend, but just as an idea I recently posted some industrial pallets that are used to hold about 2000lbs of material. They are collapsible, can be stacked four high, and can be moved from all sides by a fork truck or pallet jack. There are smaller versions out there as well that might fit in your vehicle, but are a lot of cash brand new. Pretty cool design, but excessive for what I originally intended them for.

BK Princess, Stihl MS362 20"25" Stihl MS250 18",Stihl MS170,22t splitter, 10 acres of hardwood timber and a dream. 100% wood heat. MFA can kiss my....well you know
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Minister of Fire2.

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That's what I have been thinking of doing , cuz I found a source for free boards ,some 2x4s and full 1 inch thick boards 6" wide and all this stuff comes 15ft long.
I burned some of it but, haven't stacked em in the stove like you are talking about, I have to cut more of it up yet , most likely I will store it in that same rack with the split wood oor make another one, I will just put a tarp on top

Minister of Fire2.

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Dave, since these are cut-offs, they should dry pretty quickly but they no doubt will still need drying. Therefore I would not want to be storing them in plastic containers. You need something what will allow for air circulation. Treat this wood as you would fresh cut firewood. Stacking it can be a problem and perhaps the biggest problem but whatever you do, I'd certainly want to have that wood outdoors getting dry.

Minister of Fire2.

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Check craigslist, I got some collapsible plastic pallets for $50, they look like something bluerubi has. They have all 4 sides and some have tops too, nice thing about them is you can store them out of the way when you don't need them, can also leave them outdoors and just dump your wood into them and let the wood dry out.

I store my wood in racks just like HDrock's, like he said you could put sides on and just deposit your wood into the bin and cover the top to keep it dry.

Minister of Fire2.

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they should dry pretty quickly but they no doubt will still need drying. Therefore I would not want to be storing them in plastic containers. You need something what will allow for air circulation. Treat this wood as you would fresh cut firewood. Stacking it can be a problem and perhaps the biggest problem but whatever you do, I'd certainly want to have that wood outdoors getting dry.

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You're right, Dennis I was just realizing that as I was considering those walmart boxes I mentioned.

This is something like what I saw in the Walmart store, but the size of what I saw in the store I thought were 50 gallon boxes.

The price is right and I could just get one or two for transport if I buy them in the store. But no, I can't store the wood in unventilated boxes, even when it isn't wet from sitting in the rain, it still needs drying, I can smell what I have in the house, when I first bring it in.

I really like Bluerubi's idea of the collapsible's, but they wouldn't be ventilated very well either. So maybe taking HDRock (and Joful's) idea of putting the pallets upright would work, making them into a square 3 sided box (open front for access) though I would need a back and pallets would have to be very tight or I'd have to reinforce them with chicken wire or something because the small pieces would just fall through, you can't really stack this stuff.

Ideally I could figure out a way to stack them (when I find them uniform size) into a log type shape as I pick them up and bind them quickly with something inexpensive, rope or twine (but do it fast somehow) to make handling easier from the site to the stove.

Today I went over late after 4 when they'd been picked clean, all there was was a lot of scraps with nails in them, some bigger boards, didn't even fill up one can. On a non-heating day like today they have even less. Hard to systemitize it when it's like that.

Minister of Fire2.

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I really like Bluerubi's idea of the collapsible's, but they wouldn't be ventilated very well either. So maybe taking HDRock (and Joful's) idea of putting the pallets upright would work, making them into a square 3 sided box (open front for access) though I would need a back and pallets would have to be very tight or I'd have to reinforce them with chicken wire or something because the small pieces would just fall through, you can't really stack this stuff.

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I store some small stuff in one of my pallets bins and I did just that, I lined it with chicken wire, stuffs cheap enough and pallets are free, that would be your cheapest way out.

Minister of Fire2.

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Check craigslist, I got some collapsible plastic pallets for $50, they look like something bluerubi has. They have all 4 sides and some have tops too, nice thing about them is you can store them out of the way when you don't need them, can also leave them outdoors and just dump your wood into them and let the wood dry out.

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So they're ventilated (Bluerubi's don't look ventilated), how big, and what are you looking under? Am getting nothing for collapsible plastic pallets on CL. For $50 for a roughly 4x4x4 industrial grade bin, looks good, used or new?

The price is coming up $22.50 for me. Picked up one 25 gal at HD few weeks ago and asked if they had anything bigger -- she insisted that was all they had. I think I'm going to return it. It's too small.

Minister of Fire2.

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The price is coming up $22.50 for me. Picked up one 25 gal at HD few weeks ago and asked if they had anything bigger -- she insisted that was all they had. I think I'm going to return it. It's too small.

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I don't know where they might be at your store, I saw them at the front of the store , no other bins by them.
Did U check store inventory ??

thought parts bins are for small things, bins you stack, put on a shelf. I want something around pallet size abt 4' high. Just tried "parts bin" on CL and got nothing like Bluerubis. But no problem, I'll look around.

Minister of Fire2.

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I don't know where they might be at your store, I saw them at the front of the store , no other bins by them.
Did U check store inventory ??

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That's where I saw mine, in the front. Maybe that's all they DID have at that time. Not a problem, in fact, hadn't even seen the ones I later liked better at walmart. But I'll stop in at HD again and see if they have these, which look good. Thanks for the tip.

Minister of Fire2.

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Interesting wagon. Looks like you're cutting pretty short pieces, they might fit my Century N/S. Have seen some bucking devices on youtube, yours looks better made.

Still trying to figure out a way to bind the cut-offs together so thay they could be handled like logs or splits, so wouldn't have to manually stack them tightly in the stove (which only works when I'm doing cold starts, anyway).

Was looking on Grainger for some kind of binding tool to wrap them with like plastic strips, but the tools were too expensive (in the $hundreds). Thinking like how I've bought, lets say ceramic tiles and they bind up maybe 20 or 30 of them with a plastic band and the tool/machine that does it must seal the band and cut it off, but I would want to use something that burns like rope or twine, can't be burning plastic in a stove. So I've got my eyes open for a tool that does that. Would be handy to have around for other things too. Though have no idea what it looks like or what its called.

Btw, those crates (in an earlier pic) look nice, gonna haveta keep a look out for some like that.